TOPEKA, Kan. -
Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 12th annual Advance Auto Parts
Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order
following run:

Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 8.816/94.33, Now #1

Luigi dropped a cylinder right off the starting line and then smoke the
tires. He gave it up by the 200-foot mark. Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 9.893/86.53, Now #3
Right Lane: Jim Cavalieri Runs 5.024/255.97, Now #1

Romine started to haze the tires around 150 feet and clicked it off.
Cavalieri was on a nice pass until around a 1000 feet where there was a puff of
smoke, but he still has something to tune from for the rest of the weekend. Left Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 5.330/204.76, Now #2
Right Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 5.436/180.62, Now #3

Cowin dropped a cylinder around 200 feet but he stayed with it until
engine went away just past half track. Hartley looked like he was on a good pass
until half track and then there was a big flash of flame. He coasted on through the
quarter mile. We are down for clean up it appears to be in Cowin's lane. Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.691/292.01, Now #1
Right Lane: Tim Gibson Runs 4.793/298.27, Now #2

This was a good looking side-by-side drag race with both cars running
good ets, but not a lot of speed. Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 5.458/178.21, Now #7
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.763/292.52, Now #2

Rhonda started to haze the tires at the transition and pedaled it, but
then really started smoking the tires around half track. Grubnic lost traction
around 1000 feet, but keep his foot in it, smoking the Goodyears through the finish
line. Looks like Rhonda lost an engine and put some oil out on the track as the
Safety Safari rolls. Left Lane: Don Lampus Runs 5.136/239.02, Now #5
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 10.898/77.64, Now #11

Herbert shut it off right off the starting line. Lampus with tuning
assistance from Wayne Dupuy with a little fireball on the topend. Looked like it
blew out a head gasket. Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 9.078/86.58, Now #11
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.717/288.89, Now #2

Vandergriff was starting to lose traction around 150 feet and then
lifted. Cory McClenathan lost traction around 1000 feet, but stayed with it smoking
the Goodyears through the finish line. Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 9.932/79.57, Now #14
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.664/311.63, Now #1

Kalitta blistered the tires right off the starting line. Bernstein was
able to keep the candles lit and the Goodyears stuck all the way through the quarter
mile to take over the number one spot. Left Lane: Joe Amato Runs 4.818/285.17, Now #7
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.735/305.01, Now #4

Amato started to haze the tires at half track and pedaled it and then
got out of the groove and lost traction. He stayed with it smoking the tires
through the rest of the quarter mile. Dixon with a clean straight pass to have a
baseline to tune from for the rest of the weekend. Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.666/301.13, Now #2
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.681/302.75, Now #3

Scelzi left with the front end hiked in the air and went they came back
to earth he just motored on through to take the number three spot. Schumacher was
out in front Scelzi all the way down the 1320 to take the number two spot right
behind Bernstein. That wraps up round one with Vandergriff on the bump with a weak
9.087 second pass.